Former Aussie Olympian Reveals Secret Dates With A Prince

In an excerpt from her new autobiography, former Olympian Jana Pittman has revealed that she went on a number of secret dates with a member of the Royal family.

The 34-year-old hurdler opened up about her under-the-radar romance with Prince Albert of Monaco, which was ignited after a gala awards night in 2000.

According to Pittman, the then 43-year-old Royal approached her after she collected an award at the event for talented athletes in Monte Carlo, although she didn't know who he was at first

"He held my elbow as we stepped out of the club, and opened the car door for me," she writes in Just Another Hurdle. "As we walked to the car I found it interesting that every person we passed kept nodding, which made me think, 'Wow, this guys knows everyone!'"

Pittman, who was 18 years old at the time, finally twigged who her mysterious beau was when his secretary rang to arrange a second date.

"It was the middle of the night back home but I rang Mum and said, 'Mum, I think I'm going on a date with the Prince of Monaco!'

"He was an amazing kisser, and I was besotted."

The book extract, which was published by Woman's Day, outlined the "highbrow", "dreamy and surreal" dates she went on with the Prince, who married Charlene, Princess of Monaco, in 2011, revealing that they went to an aquarium and dancing at a bar where they "sipped Champagne for a few hours."

The short-lived romance eventually came to an end after six months of phone conversations "every few days", when Pittman dropped her mobile in water and lost her contacts in the process.

Pittman, who is a two-time world champion and won gold at two Commonwealth Games, has been married twice and recently announced her engagement to IT consultant Rajiv Chaudhri.